#you meet them...and they're very kind and a little goofy

[missionkitty]

[Image ID: a digital drawing of a muscular man with pointed ears and yellow eyes hugging a woman close to his chest as he looks at the viewer. he has a curious, almost smug look on his face while the woman looks relaxed and has her eyes closed. /End ID]

perhaps he is at least a little possessive underneath it all...

[alllgator-blood]

Thinking abt young 'mura but that kinda begs the question, did they just murder every single god on the land as a small little infant undertale style???? If so respect and im 1% more scared

would you believe me if I told you I have a hundreds-of-panels long AU comic about this very subject LMAO

I LOVE THE IDEA THAT SHAMURA WAS ONCE THE MAIN CHARACTER THE WAY THE LAMB CURRENTLY IS. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I feel like their kind of resigned but respectful dialogue + high expectations for the lamb come from them knowing they're basically handing over the reigns to the lamb to be the next protagonist. I love thinking about how shamura could have started out just like the lamb, as a tiny goofy little creature with all the odds against them, but somehow came out on top. And so I sat down and *started* a comic about it that got so long that I could never feasibly finish it lmao

I s2g I gotta stop saying "I have a gigantic au comic" and not provide any screenshots so I will use this ask + my one year anniversary of having this account as an excuse to finally share little snippets. The art is old and shitty and I apologize in advance

Here's shamura saving their first follower and killing their first heretic!:

Here they are breaking into their future bestie's cult (who they will eventually kill):

AAAND here they are getting their ass kicked by literally the first person they meet, there's a whole fight that happens but here's just a couple of the more legible panels:

The plot was basically "333 gods are told by an intangible force that they have to kill each other, absorb the others' powers, and become the one final god- but shamura decides that a life in isolation isn't worth living, and they willingly doom themself to eventual failure by adopting their siblings"

[eleventeeny]

Joker: Folie à Deux -- A Misunderstood Movie About a Misunderstood Man

What is Folie à Deux?

Folie à Deux, also known as shared psychosis, is a disorder in which delusions are shared between people. The term is French for "madness of two" but can involve more than two people. In this movies case, the delusions are shared by Arthur and Lee.

This movie brought something new to the story, a musical. The Joker sees himself as a star and believes that he is a spectacle, kind of like he has Truman Syndrome. In this movie, I believe the musical aspects play a part in the shared delusion of the two characters.

Before I get into the music and its role in the delusions, I want to talk about when we first see Arthur at the start of the movie.

After the animated introduction, we see the asylum that plays as a main setting for the movie. When Arthur is walking around, his surroundings reminded me a lot of the 1967 documentary, Titicut Follies, which shows the treatment of patients in Bridgewater State Hospital. The patients running around naked or in their underwear, being taunted by the guards, and just the atmosphere feels very reminiscent of the footage in Titicut Follies.

(This may be a little off topic, but while I was researching Todd Phillips projects other than the Joker films, I discovered he also directed a documentary on GG Allin in 1993. Just thought it'd be cool to share.)

So, when the story begins, Arthur is very quiet. He doesn't talk and even the guards of the asylum point out his uncharacteristic behavior. I think it would be safe to assume his life behind bars was getting the best of him.

But when Arthur sees Lee for the first time, he's suddenly back in shape and willing to be his normal, everyday self again. When they meet officially at the singing group, that's when the musical portion of the movie starts. That's part of the reason why I believe the music represents their delusions, after they first talk, the delusions are passing through them both and then they begin to sing with each other. Arthur also seems hesitant to join her, which I'll get into my interpretation of the reason later.

I've seen all the poor reviews for this film, seemingly only because of the fact the movie is a musical. I think the musical theme fits well with the story, but maybe the fans just weren't ready for it. I think the people who disliked the movie for the musical aspects just think musicals are goofy or childish and don't fit in such a mature movie.

I found all the songs to fit perfectly with the scenes they were placed in, and it made the movie so much more interesting to me, it was a unique change from what you would usually see.

Whenever Lee and/or Arthur sing, it's always when they're with each other or when one of them is mentioned.

Toward the end of the movie, after Arthur tells the court that there is no Joker, he sees Lee again and when he tries to talk to her, she starts singing. He tells her to stop singing and just talk to him. This is another reason why I believe the music represents their delusions. After he breaks his delusions and comes back to reality, he doesn't want to sing anymore. He's not telling her to stop singing, he's telling her to stop believing the delusions.

When Arthur was committed, he finally began to stop believing in himself as the Joker, that's why he stopped making jokes and being all Joker-ish. But when he met Lee, she convinced him to enter that delusion once again because it's what she wanted of him. She didn't want Arthur, she wanted Joker. And when he stopped giving into it and told the world the Joker doesn't exist, she left him.

I think this movie is amazing and I enjoyed it despite my lack of knowledge on the DC universe. I hope whoever may read this can use my writing to find better understanding of the thought process behind the choice to make it a musical.

[moth-bells]

I dont think I can ever call myself a hater of any mh character. Im their number 1 defenders in all equal measure (yes, including alex I will get toxic in how I defend him /lh) Like my thoughts will never have to make sense to anyone im sure, i live in my bubble and I am happy (/silly) Legit, though, I love the mh boys. I love them and how fucked up they all are in their own ways, and how all of them have REASONS to be fucked up. Note, everything I say is mostly headcannon from taking things from the way characters act and what info we do have. And you can tell who my ultimate faves are, I am not ashamed of this skjfd /lh Tim is schizophrenic (potentially, I like to think he is) with severe childhood trauma (I mean he was fucking institutionalized and abandoned by his mother there, I'm sorry but theres no getting out of that mentally intact). He obviously doesnt have an easy time socializing. Brian is his first friend ever (and it seems like they meet in college, since Tim doesnt know Brian's friends). Hes been affected by the operator his whole life, though its easy to write it off as his mental illness and ignore it despite how awful it still is. He can't catch a fucking break, at all, ever. I imagine he probably has abandonment issues from childhood, which has led to not seeking out close friendships or relationships. Thats likely *why* Brian is his first friend, as Brian seems like someone who would happily push until he broke that carefully built-up barrier to keep others out. And once he *finally* has friends, people who care about them? Now theyre all dead and hes left to stand in the wreckage. We know even from his medical records that he is ALREADY suicidal by age 6, WITH a suicide plan and access to said plan when hes admitted. Its not hard to imagine that those suicidal thoughts have followed him his whole life and *after* MH as well. His little 'everything is fine' at the end feels like a lie. Hes lying. Everything is NOT fine, but he doesnt need another Jay Merrick to watch these videos and come looking for him. He doesnt need *more* people dying because of *him*. Because they *met* him.

Brian is just as tragic to me as Tim is. Tim has years of experiencing his anhedonia (which can cause emotional bluntness, or a disconnect of his emotions), and this can make it easier to move on from upsetting events. Brian, on the other hand, does not have any shown or hinted at mental issues before the events in 2006. Hes a well-adjusted guy as far as we can tell. Kind, a little goofy, certainly seems to get along well with others. Hes a GOOD person, who cares about his friends, and hes sticking with them even when he *knows* something is wrong. He trusts Alex so much before he's practically fed to the operator by him. From the START, hes affected by lying. Alex lying to him about where they're going, that everything is fine. And Brian pays the price for trusting him. And I *do* understand Tim never revealed his medical history. Tim has said he doesnt remember what the hallucinations he had as a kid were. Hes a diagnosed schizophrenic man in the 2000s. Mental health was not very well understood and accepted. "But Brian was a psychology major, he'd understand more than anyone!" and I return to the fact that Tim was institutionalized at a young age. This man does not have a good relationship with anyone in that field. Trauma is a reality for him, it just is. But at the same time, Brian is *broken* by what the operator did to him. He is *tired* of being lied to. So when he finds Tim's medical records he is *furious*. We know they have a falling out because Brian has been lied to and lied to and *no one* seems to care! But he doesnt hate Tim. I think after their falling out he *wants* to hate Tim. I mean he takes his meds, to *purposely* cause a seizure. He forces it to happen, sits and watches from the closest as his best friend shakes and seizes on the floor and then *sobs* after he comes out of it. He does this with little care to Tim's well being. He doesnt care right now, because its an means to an end. But he cant hate Tim. No matter what, he cant make himself hate Tim. He, as mentioned above, *CAN* understand mental health issues more than anyone in their friend group could have. He'd understand, no matter how much he wants to make himself ignore it, that Tim lied to keep himself from losing his only friends ever. Even though he wants to hate Tim, he just cant. Hes upset with him, but even towards the end that's almost faded. He *is* manipulating Tim somewhat, using his meds as a means to get Tim on his side, but Brian is *not* okay mentally. He thinks in code and binary and hes *not* well. In his mind, the only way to get Tim close enough to even *try* and explain things to him is to *make* him. I really think after Brian left his last message, his name in the code, he KNEW Tim would never have cared to decode it. Tim isn't Jay. He doesn't care about any of this. He has no reason to. Jay was obsessive to find answers and Tim wants it to end no matter what. I mean Brian knows Tim doesnt trust him and has NO reason to. Tim is convinced that Brian got Jay killed. Even if Brian didnt do it intentionally he *did* lead Jay to his death by letting him go. I'm sure he did so to keep Alex from coming and killing Jay while he was vulnerable. But, we know how that ends. And Tim is off his meds. He sees a murderer and he isnt gonna care what that murderer says, so Brian bribes him with his medication. And even to the end, he doesnt want to hurt Tim, so he jumps. (rant being continued in next reblog trust i maxed out tumblrs character count....sorry........./silly)

[the-sonic-crew]

Hey Everyone! It's Sonic ;D You can talk to most anyone in our world~! The amazing and talented mods:

👀- @rednexxsaysthing (Blog creator)

💛- @happyfacelol

🦆- @bootyshakerrr9000

🐜- @ap0th3osis

💀- @edgyhedgie

🌒- @itzvio

Characters, rules, schedule, and other fun stuff below!

Sonic~ Good for goofy questions, good for advice on anything but feelings, good for cheering you on, gets off topic

Tails~ Good for academic questions, good for advice on bullies/jerks, good for tips on mental health

Knuckles~ Good if you need someone to feel angry with you, good at listening, sometimes good with advice

Amy~ Good listener, good advice, sometimes gets off topic with questions, good for mental health advice

Dr. Eggman~ Good at being an asshole

Shadow~ Good at listening, good advice if he likes you, good for food recs

Rouge~ Good for fashion opinions, not good at listening, good at promoting body positivity

Omega~ Only responds in binary code, good at listening, holds all the knowledge in the world.

Silver~ Good at answering questions about the future, good at helping with anxiety, good at listening

Blaze~ Good at giving advice, sometimes gets suspicious if you ask really personal questions

Vector~ Likes talking about himself and his agency (and his kids), good at listening and giving advice on self esteem

Espio~ Great at listening, great at advice, won't tell you much about himself

Charmy~ Not good at listening or advice, very hyperactive, loves meeting new people and answering questions

Cream~ Good at listening, very sweet, loves talking about her friends

Vanilla~ Good at listening and advice, very sweet, loves talking about her daughter and friends

Metal Sonic~ Doesn't talk, only responds in motions

Whisper~ Helpful, good advice, nervous

Tangle~ Bouncy, excited, empathetic

Maria~ Sweet, gives good advice, a ghost

Dr. Starline~ Evil, sassy, snarky

Big~ Huge, dorky, lovable idiot. (we use BIGGEST TEXT for him)

Agent Stone~ Will somehow always find a way to make the conversation about Dr. Robotnik Froggy~ Translator for whatever the fuck he says Surge~ Cocky, angry, cusses a lot Kit~ Shy, smart, anxiety ridden

Cosmo~ Kind, patient, dead

Rules:

1. Don't bring up politics please

2. If you're a zoo, sexist, racist, homophobe, transphobe, etc. Get off our page

3. Keep in mind we have no affiliation with SEGA at all, no characters belong to us, and since some of the lore is a little wonky lots of answers will be head-canons

4. BE KIND TO THE MODS! If you have any issues, you can send an ask to @rednexxsaysthing

5. OC asks take a varied amount of time depending on the mod, bear with them

If you happen to send an ask that is too intense or violent (with no trigger warnings, or even with trigger warnings if they're extreme) then I'll send you a message and kindly let you know

(If you're in anon mode it'll just be deleted and unanswered)

You get THREE (3) warnings, if you use them up you will be blocked

This does not go for asks about YOUR PERSONAL mental health, but things where people are brutally torturing the characters is a bit over the top.

Thank you!

Message from one of the Anons on here!:

Just remember everyone! Its ok to feel worthless everyone has those kind of moments where you just want to disappear, what matters is you get help, you reach out to whoever you want to talk to

Its also ok to cry, holding in your tears is not good and i am speaking from experience, it hurts more to hold in your tears than to let them out

You all deserve so much more in life no matter what anyone says keep chasing your dreams and prove everyone wrong!

Schedule!

Monday: Revive Maria Monday

Tuesday: Tap Tails Tuesday

Wednesday: Whack Eggman wednesday

Thursday: Throw Silver Thursday

Friday: Flick Sonic Friday

Saturday: Serenade Shadow and Sacrifice Sonic Saturday

Sunday: Throw Starline in a Lake Sunday

Credits for pics: Pinterest, and @astroke

[weebsinstash]

I had the same thing with the Sonic yandere content (same creator) and had the exact same crisis. Like Shadow I can understand and my teenage self is thriving, but Sonic and Silver??? I wasn't ready for the potential

I doubled back and started going through that creator's whole archive and I realized that YT had already thrown one of their videos at me, but one about a different thing, so part of me is cracking up that they cracked the "liking sonic" thing first and THEN decided, "hey, you know what has so much to do with Sonic? YANDERE CONTENT"

It's just. Lmao. I don't even really have that much yandere stuff in my saved likes so the, uh, catching me off guard aspect with suddenly looking and seeing a Sonic Y/N and suddenly realizing what I was watching. And then liking that video, saving it and all, and YouTube throwing another one from them at me within the same hour. It's hunting me down like a wounded animal over here

I'm not gonna lie, I actually remember very little about Silver and haven't regularly interacted with Sonic content in a long time, but I mean, obviously I know who Sonic is. You'd never expect your, goofy lovable friend to have any malicious or mean or dangerous bones in his entire body! He's just... some chili dog eating goober! He's just this... lovable scoundrel who says dumb shit like "way passed cool" and "smell ya later". But he's also smarter than people give him credit for? Super specific example but there was an episode of the Sonic anime where Eggman had an "eggmoon" that was allegedly "malfunctioning" and blocking the sun and Eggman started selling people like, miniature suns so they could still have warmth and light and like the entire human race was kissing Eggman's ass and it was actually Sonic who stood up and called bullshit just, was basically "but if the eggmoon is stuck in place, Earth's orbit would still mean that we would eventually circle passed it and see the sun again? So the broken eggmoon is clearly constantly moving to block the sun???" as everyone else face palmed and said "oh wow that's actually super obvious, why did it take this long to realize something was fishy"

For me, Sonic is in the same yandere category as Luffy of "He's just a silly little guy who (probably) doesn't have a single sexual or romantic bone in his body!!! but also I could see them being like dangerously possessive of your friendship at the very least"

I mean, Shadow is such a given for "having a secret dark side", but Sonic also has his own appeal in "you'd never see it coming or even think he's capable of having dark thoughts/adult feelings until it was too late". Sonic would be the kind of yandere you accidentally walk in on after he's hurt or killed someone and his gloves/shoes are covered in blood and he's just casually like, "uh oh! I don't think they're sleeping! Musta been weaker than I figured? Whoops?" and playfully shrugs at your shocked horrified 'what the fuck did you do' expression as he then skips on to inviting you to go grab a bite to eat

There's also a different ....vibe/dynamic between a Mobian Reader and a Human Reader, or especially a "two worlds" sort of scenario like in Sonic X or the live action movies which I admittedly have not watched. You get sucked into another dimension and actually have this, colorful magical adventure with all your new friends, and then you return home and suddenly he can go there too and it's like "*sigh* no sonic, we can't go racing through green hill zone, I have to work today" "no sonic, i can't just 'quit my job and join your band', I have to pay rent which costs money" "no sonic, I can't just 'quit my job and crash at your place', I'm from Earth and this is where I'm supposed to stay"

It doesn't help that our... entire reality is like objectively worse than it is on Mobius or in Sonic's home dimension. Imagine your special little blue buddy finding out you had to get a SECOND job just to make ends meet! He finds out you basically don't have ANY time to hang out anymore and whenever you're off work, you're completely exhausted and he's just???? Super frustrated??? He wants to be chill and supportive of your choices but you're like, having to basically work yourself to death and, being kind of a jerk to your favorite little hedgie 🥺 being real mean to someone who considers themselves your BFF. Being a real bummer to a guy who just wants to hang out and have fun and eat tasty food and save the world together with you.

Sonic sitting down with his little roundtable of lovable furry friends, uncharacteristically ranting how frustrating it is that all you do is work and you keep brushing him off and acting like he's stupid for suggesting you just quit your job and live in his house, and everyone else (who also knows you) pitching in their own ideas meanwhile Shadow is just casually like "their boss doesn't seem to be any different than Eggman, keeping others trapped to fulfill his own desires" and suddenly the gears are turning in Sonic's head. Oh... your boss IS like a bad guy! And you'd be in a pickle if YOU did something about it! Obviously you need your good friend to RESCUE YOU!

Something something "Reader being stuck between platonic yandere Sonic and romantic yandere Shadow and also Rouge is in the corner in the cuck chair with a glass of wine" I dunno don't even perceive me right now I suddenly don't know how to read or something 🤷‍♀️

[timeslipcamp]

thoughts on episode three

jabberwock here we come!! time for invasions of privacy and workplace frenemies. ren and haru's dynamic is so funny to me and it's one of my favorites to read. i love the jabberwock dudes. let's go!

spoilers through episode 17

not to break my spoiler rule immediately but it is SO apparent now that haru was an entertainer. like the way he teases and talks and just keep going...i can't believe i didn't think he'd be from dionysia sooner. granted i didn't know it was a fuckin nightmare carnival land but whatever

also does he say why jabberwock was in such disrepair? did it get fucked up during the clash?

another underrated dynamic? ren and sho's one sided beef lmao. like cmon dude hes not that scary i promise!! you two would probably vibe!! don't be scared!! there's a timeline out there where i wrote the enemies to lovers slowburn fic for them but alas

what a freak <3

janitor's first appearance!!! actually i feel like we saw him before but whatever i love that mc thinks he's hot hahaha she doesn't comment on good looks very often but i'm glad the janitor did it for her. i remember the first time we saw him i was SO suspicious. honestly i'm still on the fence with where i think his loyalties lie, i can see him being a double agent on either side, but i have no idea. i just know that he's hot and i don't trust him lol

"such a sweet little thing" UGH stop

anyways back to towa. his introduction is so funny dude they really just said "here's a goat man he's gonna eat this flower." 10/10 no notes, they made sure from the get go that we knew towa was a goofball. oh and scary! always a great combo!

ren is really having the worst day of his life every single day, huh? lol i remember the first time i was reading through this chapter i was fucking CRACKING up every time he spoke. poor guy lol

jabberwock dynamics are top tier honestly

i do also really appreciate how chill haru was about us not knowing anything. he's one of the ghouls that are super kind to mc (if a little goofy) but he still takes the time to explain things to her. ugh love that clown

also i believe it was in eset's timeline post that it was mentioned that in english, haru says it took him six months to learn the jabberwock ropes, but in japanese it said HALF A MONTH?? that's honestly insane, but with how hardworking he is i can believe it. he throws himself into everything and i'm sure transferring into jabberwock (that he now sees himself as the sole protector of) was no different

ren you're so funny and you don't even know it

the first sho and subaru meeting (insert elmo fire emoji here) god i fucking LOVE them i'm so interested to see where this dynamic is going to go. we can already see as early as episode two that sho gets fed up with leo and this just echoes it completely. something about his and leo's friendship feels so...forced? like they have to hang out together, not want to or something. idk. feels off feels weird, especially as we can see sho continue to progress towards this righteous vengeance figure while leo stays shady in his tactics. idk idk that's a different post for another time. but sho and subaru interacting is so good

"They're not my biggest fans." what beef does haru have with vagastrom? this is right after mc suggested asking them for a boat. did dionysia and vagastrom have beef in the clash? or was it haru personally? is it because he's friends with romeo?

its also soooo funny that haru says jin won't answer his calls and then we have a dialogue option that essentially says "nah he'll answer for me" like pls 😭

this fox anomaly has not left my brain. ever since we saw it pop up again and have beef with lyca i've been trying to figure out why that symbol on its snout feels so important but im at a complete loss. i even did a whooole deep dive on kitsune mask markings and NOTHING. ZIP. NADA. maybe it's kanji? or a different symbol?? Or it means nothing and it's just a fox and i'm crazy. both things can be true i guess

the whole towa zenji thing is wild too. like we don't find out until later that zenji's a ghost but it still seems like towa can see him. and he's watching him walk away while he's scratching his numbers on the cave walls. are they dates?? i'm still not sold on that but i have zero idea what else it could be ugh

hyde what the HELL does this mean. were they missing???? did you lose the dionysia kids and that's why the house went defunct??? was haru the only one left??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN FOUND THEM?? WHAT DO YOU MEAN USE

this is from the prologue, when nicolas answered a phone call before we ditched him. so this was the dionysia students?? HOW DO YOU LOSE STUDENTS

god the clash and everything that happened after still drives me crazy with the possibilities. either they ran away to avoid punishment or they were running from something else. or! fun tinhat option! haku's flute scattered them!

anyways back to episode 3

"no i wont, i'm a legend!" me before doing anything stupid ever. towa is so funny i love that this episode is really where we start to hear him talk. also this totally slipped by me the first time but towa 100% caught mc with the water. he can manipulate the ocean water too. hes so STRONG god his powers drive me insane

another thing that drives me insane is leo looking into why everyone else made their pacts because honestly i would be doing that EXACT same thing ugh i'm so nosey. leo's focus on pacts and making bets with sho is so interesting to me and i feel like there's something there. but i don't know what yet. i'm leaning towards a couple ideas but i can save that for a different post, we're talking about episode three right now. love the sho cameos though hi bby

ren's one sided beef with sho will never not be funny

also LOVE that jabberwock gets so dark and cold while towa isn't there, like he's directly tied to the weather of that place. sooo fascinating i can't wait until we can find out what his deal is

"hi haru, it's me the hot janitor that's your biggest fan. you've been asleep but don't worry i've been watching over you. you're such a good tamer and strong but you need to take care of yourself, yeah? want an apple? oh btw towa and mc have been missing for a day"

I STILL WANT TO KNOW WHAT RENS DEAL WITH THE OCEAN IS it has literally been bugging me since i first read this story. i think it was a water demon. OR! OR. or. an accident in the water and he got desperate and accidentally made a pact. ugh ren you drive me crazy I NEED TO KNOW

haru is so fucking funny dude. between this and telling jiro not to do drugs in ep 17 what kind of life was he living before darkwick???

"did you seriously just slap my ass? that's harassment!" - "probably." jabberwock continues to be funny as hell. this episode also really feels like a really good balance between the mystery of the anomaly, solving it, and character moments. the mystery lasted all the way through and wasn't like, 30 seconds of the episode like in ep 17 lmao. no shade because every show needs a beach episode but this one combines it all really well

it feels really deliberate the way towa has to do things this episode. he asks if we need help, he asks haru if he can do this, etc. why does he need permission first? that being said his whirlpool is terrifying lmao i love this freak

still thinking about ren--how poetic would it be if he became a ghoul because he lost someone at sea and then the artifact that chose him is a life raft :')

haru thanking mc at the end is so sweet dude like YES encourage her!! she's doing great!! she's helping!! i love that all of them were literally like "no the kraken and the baby disappeared idk what you're talking about." comrades 🤝

episode three is such a good episode. love the hints we get about ren and towa, LOVE haru just in general, the jabberwock part of campus is gorgeous--just a fantastic episode in general. 10/10 no notes.

well. a lot of notes. this is a long post lmao

onto episode four! asks and dms always open

[rwbyrg]

Another thing I had noticed was the way Ruby interreacts with everyone vs. how she interacts with Oscar. Like her mannerisms seem to change a bit when she speaks or is near him or she treats him differently from the others. Because personally I've never seen her act very nervous around the others when she met them versus how she met Oscar, and she still does it to this day. What do you think?

I am soooooo late to answering these asks and this got sooooo long aha. Thank you for your patience. 🙇‍♀️

I have noticed that Ruby acts markedly different around Oscar than the others! And in my opinion, it is done with a great deal of intention. The thing with RG is that a lot of what makes the ship so strong is how subtle its writing is. So much of it is paralleled themes and a lot of it relies on an absence of something that is usually present. Often treating the absence itself as a presence of something to be paid attention to.

When we first meet Ruby in V1, she says she gets along better with weapons than she does with people. (Lol isn't it funny that Oscar's name means "God's Spear" haha. surely that has no correlation whatsoever... anyway).

When Ruby meets Weiss, she gets screamed at and makes a dust bomb explode in the courtyard, but by V2 so many of their conflicts are resolved and they've become rivals/besties/team partners.

When Ruby meets Blake, she's got her foot in her mouth and is super awkward... until there's an opportunity to connect with her about stories and fairytales. Then we see Ruby's earnest side come out and the anxiety in her pretty much disappears.

When Ruby meets Jaune, it's remarkably not awkward. Their shared social awkwardness and feelings of not belonging at Beacon cancel each other out and they're able to have a fairly normal conversation.

Very quickly through the early volumes, Ruby gets comfortable. As a leader, as part of her team, as a welcome part of their social circle. She's young, still optimistic and full of hope. She hasn't been given too much trauma or cause to question herself by that point. She has her moments, sure, but like a lot of kids that don't fit in much and aren't super social, she's actually really good at it once she's given the chance.

But when Ruby meets Oscar - while she has experienced some of the Horrors™ that have chipped away at her self confidence - she's not too different than usual. Not at first, anyway.

He comments on her eyes and she responds naturally by asking him who he is, she's able to be candid with her response when she's told he's carrying Oz around, and yeah she giggles a bit when they're all playing the 'getting to know you game', but she also smiles at him. Earnest, trying to make him feel at ease cause this situation is kind of weird for all of them. When they spar later, she's being a goofy kid. Sticking her tongue out at him, laughing while they throw and dodge punches, running to help him when he collapses, grabbing his wrist with very little hesitation to tug him towards the rest of the group. It's all fairly normal...

...and then the Dojo Scene happens.

With the Dojo Scene, the narrative tone of their relationship is both established and changed. Ruby comes down the stairs and she's open, at first. But as they talk a bit more, her body language becomes more and more closed off the closer she gets to him. Clasping her hands in front of her when she asks a question about his past, then hugging herself as she dares to step a little closer to him, as if putting up some kind of protective barrier.

She tries complimenting his efforts, laughing a bit to hide her nervousness, is fairly candid, and makes a bit of a joke. But the joke reveals a wound of hers that hasn't healed yet and opens the conversation up to vulnerability. A vulnerability that Oscar points out immediately. One she has not spoken to anyone else about up until that point.

"How do you handle all of this?"

Ruby pauses. She's not used to talking to people about her problems. At first, I don't think she's even thinking about herself when he asks. She nudges him to clarify what he means and he opens up about his own fears, which prompts her routine song and dance that she gives to everyone. Uplifting words, holding onto hope, keep moving forward, just don't let the things that haunt you catch up and you'll be fine.

And Oscar doesn't accept it. He isn't moved by it. He's not comforted. He rejects it, questions it, and completely lashes out. Is actually angry that she's telling him to "just press on" in spite of those fears. Is angry on her behalf that she's not being honest about her own feelings.

And Ruby cracks. She actually opens up and talks to Oscar about all the grief she keeps buried down and doesn't burden anyone with. She might have argued to herself that it was the only way to make Oscar feel better, but it's uncharacteristic for her. She doesn't usually have to go that deep to cheer other people up. When she tells him about her losses and motivations, Oscar joins her in that open doorway, in shared vulnerability... and the moment she sees an opportunity to retreat, she takes it. Not used to this closeness in the slightest.

From then on out they're still friends, clearly. Their bond strengthened, if anything... but Ruby does not know how to handle him when he has such a skill for seeing through her in ways no one else ever seems to catch onto. She's able to push it away a bit when he's pre-occupied with something else. When he's worried about the merge or his mistakes in Atlas, or they're in a group conversation, she's able to act with some sense of normalcy... but when they're alone that awkwardness comes creeping back.

When WBY confront Ruby about her decision to keep the truth from Ironwood, Yang specifically asks how Oscar feels about it, and we see Ruby falter. This is a direct parallel to Bumbleby circa V8 when Yang is the one worrying about Blake thinking less of her for her own decision. We've seen Ruby disagree with people before and remain confident in her choice... but she questions herself here because of how much she values Oscar's opinion. And their disagreement colours more of her interactions with him throughout V7.

When they're all practicing in the academy training rooms, Oscar comments on her semblance. Asking if she's always been able to do that, which is something he wouldn't ask if he didn't pay close enough attention to be able to notice such differences. She's laughing awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.

And the fumble, when they finally come back together with renewed trust - that I already dove into a bit over in this post - she's still doing it!!

She is so excited to talk to him again, to not be at odds, that she almost runs directly into his back and is all flailing arms, and awkward giggles as she tries to tell him she agrees with him. When they finally establish that they're on the same page, she's hugging herself tight, rubbing her arm, looking away from him in her nervousness. Even when she walks away she's hugging herself again. Meanwhile, Oscar is all open body language, hand on hip, hand extended to her, active listening and receptive to what she has to say.

Interesting that this conversation's themes around choosing truth over fear calls back to the Dojo Scene so well, innit? 🤔

The last example I want to give isn't about Ruby. It's about Oscar. Throughout the show, he's always been a bit skittish, jumpy, and expressive with things like loud noises and - quite noticeably - touch. Oscar's been tackled to the ground by Nora in multiple hugs, tackled by the whole team in V6 after he went missing, scooped up by Jaune after he was kidnapped, and in all of those instances there has been a noticeable physical discomfort from him. Often a flinch or a wince beforehand, only relaxing into it after the surprise of the impact is over with.

But Ruby has put her hand on Oscar's shoulder multiple times (outside the Dojo Scene) without eliciting that response from him. One of those touches made him blush, if anything. And when Oscar returns from Salem's prison, beaten and covered in bruises. Ruby is running to hug him and not only does he not flinch, he smiles with open arms, completely ready for and accepting of it. And then the narrative robbed him of the chance 😭

Ruby, despite her usual confidence, resolve, and unwillingness to talk about her issues, becomes nervous, awkward, and self conscious around Oscar. The absence of her usual demeanor becomes the presence of how much she values what Oscar thinks of her and how vulnerable he's able to make her feel. (Which, for a character as emotionally guarded as Ruby, is a good thing).

Similarly, Oscar's established pattern of resisting physical touch - even when he's injured and probably sporting a few broken ribs - is absent with Ruby. It becomes a presence instead of his comfort, trust, and (desire for) closeness to her.

While these examples aren't exhaustive, generally speaking, the absences of their usual behaviours around one another become the presence of something unique to their relationship and often serve to highlight their attachments to each other. Be it how they interact with each other directly... or how they act when they're apart. But that, my friends, is an entirely different post and I have rambled long enough for today.

[booksandberries]

okay i Do need to ramble about this guy in ch30

HANZAWA

first of all, beautiful smile, beautiful laugh. laughing at his friend. god. hirano's not even mad.

i love all the friendships in this series, it's like. it's an extension of how real and well-rounded all the characters are. like yes they're goofy and fun and romantic, but literally no one is REDUCED to one or two dimensions! they don't have shounen hero Power of Friendship kind of relationships, but I think what they have going on is actually better?

like. a lot of shounen series will give lip service to the power of friendship. but it feels more like Kindness and Basic Respect towards other humans because most of the Random People the shounen hero meets just don't ever come up again. (not you, fullmetal alchemist, you're beautiful) idk, generalizing, doesn't matter, my point is: the friendships in hrkg and ssmy are so real because they're just guys. they're just high schoolers.

the kouhai cohort are really, as they say, festive! like their cultural festival theme. they're very open about everything, quick to show affection and talk to each other. by contrast, the senpai cohort tend towards a much more masculine style of friendship. ogasawara has to work himself up to telling sasaki that he's dating their mutual childhood friend (that sasaki already knows has had requited feelings for him for ages). hirano tells sasaki not to tell him about his relationship in the same scene where he does ask about it because he's worried about his friends. they're awkward and unpracticed and for sure some of it is toxic masculinity, the expectations on them based on gender, but it's also their personalities. hirano specifically tells ichinose that he hates talking about romance (possibly because he just doesn't get it, acespec hirano real)

and all of that is fine. they lean on each other sometimes, and they figure things out on their own sometimes. they are mostly not privy to EVERY SINGLE DETAIL of each other's lives. they have their own goals for college and adulthood, and that means they won't be together the way they are every day of high school, but that's fine, that's life. they can still call and get together sometimes, and there's no real loss.

now bringing this back around to hanzawa. in ssmy we see so much of him as this teasing, can't-tell-what-he's-thinking senpai who's GOTTA have some clones to keep up with all his extracurriculars AND high grades. but he's human! he does get tired and he does overschedule himself. and when he does, people (hirano) step in to help. hirano is one of the people closest to hanzawa. they're in the same grade so there's no sense of him being this Amazing Senpai. but he's still someone hirano goes to for advice, someone who's opinion he trusts.

i think hanzawa likes hirano for sort of similar reasons that kagiura and niibashi get along. there's a certain sort of comfort from people who Don't Mind. hirano and kagiura can both be a little dense, but it's not from a place of like not reading the room or not caring! it comes from a place of Confidence, and not an arrogant confidence but ironically almost a humble sort of trust.

this is something that I really love about my other favorite series, A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation. Lizel, the protagonist, is Crazy confident (even in areas where he has no right to be lmao) because it's not solely based on like Oh I'm So Perfect I Can Handle Everything.

it comes from a place of I Am Loved. And I'll Receive Help If I Can't Do This.

and there's simply no question that that's true. A lot of us in fandom seriously lack that kind of confidence, whatever the reason for it. Self-esteem issues, issues with family or friends or whatever, negative concepts that we internalize so deeply (it doesn't have to come from trauma, you can be loved and still lack confidence and have issues, there's just a lot of factors that make up who we are and how we think and act)

and that's something I see in Hirano and Kagiura. Moreso in Kagiura--it's in his relationship with Hirano, the way they banter and Kagiura is so needy! And not only does Hirano have No problem helping him, he relishes it, he enjoys it. Kagiura obviously doesn't receive that level of care from everyone, but his family is clearly very loving. And it's in his relationship with Niibashi. I've talked about this before, but I think part of why they get along is that Kagiura is immune to Niibashi abrasive personality. Niibashi can cuss him out and hit him and yell at him every time they talk, but Kagiura sees RIGHT through all of that to what Niibashi is really saying. And not everyone will do that! A lot of people get put off by rude words or rude tone of voice and don't look any deeper.

Hirano, for his part, is similar to Niibashi in that first appearances can put people off! He looks like a delinquent, and that's a lot more serious in Japan than it is in the West, especially the USA. Dyed hair, piercings, loud fashion, all of these are signs that someone has Turned Their Back on Society because they don't conform. You must understand: almost every culture in the world values Truth. Japan doesn't. The truth ranks BELOW harmony (read: conformity).

The very fact that Hirano dresses like that while still being a super diligent student speaks LOUDLY of how comfortable and confident he is. He doesn't have to Prove he's diligent through visual indicators like black hair and keeping his uniform neat. idk what happened to him in middle school or anything, but we don't see any sign of Hirano being depressed or super anxious about anything other than his relationship with Kagiura. Hirano knows that his appearance can be off-putting, but instead of giving it up and conforming to society's standards, he just. accepts that. it's not that big of a deal. He pays attention to it because he's a considerate person, but he doesn't need to bend over backwards or become a doormat to be polite and respectful and diligent and honest and look I'm not over the reveal in the hrkg novel that Hirano chased down the guys who beat up Kuresawa and Sasaki. He couldn't leave it alone. LOVE A CHARACTER WITH A SENSE OF JUSTICE

anyway. Hanzawa. Hanzawa is kind of on the opposite end of the spectrum. Hanzawa is ALWAYS trying to sort of prove that he's worth something? Harusono-sensei has mentioned having thousands of words of Hanzawa lore and I can't WAIT to get that but just from the scraps we have so far. Hanzawa DYES HIS HAIR BLACK. That's not his natural color! It is not at all uncommon for schools in Japan to force students with non-black hair to dye it black to fit in, but that clearly is not the case at this school where they let students dye their hair unnatural colors!

When Hanzawa's mom sighed in relief when he said he was straight after his brothers came out as gay, my theory is that Hanzawa instantly internalized that gay people experience oppression. Hanzawa was SO SMALL in that scene, so he's had YEARS of growing up with gay family members and unnatural hair colors and who knows what else. The kind of stuff that could lead to bullying and ostracization and other consequences. Also his sister is into cosplaying, which isn't something people are oppressed for but is a potential reason for bullying.

Hanzawa works so hard to make sure everyone gets along and is doing okay. He does so much because if he never stops moving than the anxious thoughts can't catch him. Maybe he can even fix things, help people. idk, I feel like there's still more, we don't have his full story yet, but he is doing so much.

And then there's Hirano. Hirano who is unabashedly himself. Hirano who comes to Hanzawa for advice, feeds his desire to be helpful and included, but also recognizes when Hanzawa is overworking himself. There might be a little ellipsis before he says it and maybe that's Hirano being shy or maybe he's trying to respect Hanzawa's sense of pride, but he still offers to help every time. And Hirano is super reliable! What a great person for Hanzawa to lean on. He knows that Hirano is capable of stepping up and doing things, and he knows that Hirano is WILLING to as well. Hirano is unabashedly himself and unabashedly Hanzawa's friend.

the thing is, Hirano doesn't See Through Hanzawa. I feel like that's always treated as the special thing, the point of connection, the people who See Through to the Real You. but sometimes that's not what's going on, sometimes that's not even desired. We could say Hirano sees through to Hanzawa being tired, but honestly he a) doesn't have to look all that deep for it like the context clues are enough nevermind Hanzawa's flawless poker face and b) maybe he doesn't! He just OFFERS HELP ANYWAY. because jeez dude that would make anyone tired. you're only human. hanzawa is only human and hirano not only knows that but he Doesn't Even Think About it.

I mentioned that the senpai cohort are very masculine in their friendship style, they don't pry into each other all that much and they don't admit all that much to each other. Sasaki was SO BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS about being in love with Miyano, but he didn't even tell Ogasawara that they were actually dating until Ogasawara outright asked. WHEN THEY WERE GRADUATING. PRACTICALLY GONE ALREADY. and the BL concerns brought on by his girlfriend were no small part of why he asked lmao.

there's a certain comfort in people who will hang out and let you do you. there's a lot of issues with this going too far and not talking about things that SHOULD be talked about, but it is comfortable.

there's a certain confidence and a certain trust in sitting next to someone and letting them do their thing and offering a hand 'just if you need bro no pressure either way'

it's not like. 'i'll catch you if you fall' it's 'grab my hand dumbass before you fall' and it's not life-threatening, it's going on a hike. yeah, you're climbing. take my hand, dumbass, you almost tripped. and then you let go and keep going.

i don't know if i'm making SENSE is this anything

hanzawa masato is a man who hides. hirano is a man who doesn't. but he never asks hanzawa not to hide, and he doesn't know all of whatever is going on with him, and it doesn't matter. do you get it? it doesn't matter. not because he doesn't care, but because whatever's going on wouldn't impact hirano reaching out his hand and sitting next to him and hanging out with him and respecting him. take my hand, you're tired. give me a hand next time. i'll cheer for you and slap your back when you accomplish whatever you set out to do.

hanzawa is trying so so so hard to be liked. to never, ever falter.

and hirano could never even conceptualize judging hanzawa for faltering.

[ringdabel]

My thoughts on OP ships except im being 100% honest (P.1)

*LuNami - Cute but im not a big fan of it - Autisum and girlboss frfr - idm if its canon! I mean i like their moments of hugging and all, they're all so silly and i absolutely adore them! ^^ *LuHan - Nah... HARD pass... - I do not ship them at all and refuses to - their age gap is 12 and i think personally Boa is just having some kind of highschool crush -if this ship becomes canon...... bro im gonna stare in the distance and cry - If you ship these two...... NO OFFENSE! But What is wrong with you :[ *LuZo/ZoLu - MY EMOTINAL SUPPORT SHIP YIPPIEEEEE - They are so SO CANON u cannot convince me otherwise!!! - Dumb and Dumber. - I love and ADORE their dynamic! their interactions, first meetings, etc... EVERYTHING THEYRE SOOO CUTE AGHHCBSDBIL <3333 - The crew KNOWS they love eachother. They know what they are. - shamelessly kisses eachother goodnight - Zoro will die for Luffy, and Luffy will stop him. *LuSan/Sanlu - ONE OF MY FAV SHIPS EVER!!! Their interactions!! >>>>>> - WE KNOW SANJI LOVES HIM AND ADORES HIM. WE KNOW THAT ALREADY YOU FRENCH FRY - He wants to be Luffy's special boy in the OPLA, c'mon, its so obv - Sanji gets jealous when Luffy compliments other cooks other than him, its canon guys, trust me. MOVIE 6, THAT PHYSILOGICAL HORROR MOVIE OF OP. *ZoSanLu/ZoLuSan -POWER POLY LOVERS ON TOP! -i love them. *cries* -I have 400 pages of fanart featuring these stupid boneheads. - they sleep together and Luffy steals all the blankets - Zoro will def giving them his earings. aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh *LuKob/Koblu -Comfort ship of mine!!! THEYRE SO CUTE ITS ILLEGAL!!!! - I want them to reunite again, then hold hands and kiss eachother on the lips then go on cute little dates :[ - LUFFY IS KOBY'S GAY AWAKENING CHANGE MY MIND (i feel like hes more like bi or pan BUT) - Koby owns 6000 wanted posters of Luffy and its canon that he wants more of them. hes such a fanboy omg.... - If they ever date... they will have a matching handmade bracelet... Luffy's red and Koby's pink.... each has letters of eachother... - (ALSO THERES THIS FAV FIC OF THEM FROM AO3, THE AUTHOR IS okiedokeTM (madelinescribbles) AND THE FIC IS CALLED "Koby's Awful No-Good Very Confusing Day" CHECK IT OUT IF YOU CAN!!!!) - im very normal abt them (lie) *LuUso/UsoLu - Very cute ship!!1 - i personally see them as best friends more but its still verey cute! - They bond, they hug, they hit and they danced. yeah i get how ppl ship them!!!!!!!!! *LuLaw/Lawlu -Tbh.... its very cute! - i used to be obsessed with this ship bcs their dyanmic is so interesting, like Black cat and golden retriver! - i still kinda do ndcnas - Luffy reminds Law of Corazon bcs of his goofiness ughh CRIES - I hc Law that he has a soft spot for silly, goofy ppl, his sister, his crew, Corazon, LUFFY????????? He loves them but will never admit smh smh - When he ruins all of your well-planned plans that took you a whole week to make <3333333 *CobyLuLaw/KobyLawLu -AYEEEEEEEEEEE MY NEW FAV SHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!! - F**K BEING UNDERRATED, I WANT THIS TO BE KNOWN ACROSS THE WHOLE F**KING WORLD!!!!!! - PLSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS ITS SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! U HAVE TO WRITE FICS ABT IT I NEED MORE OF IT!!!1 - I want to thank @orange-artist for drawing and having KobyLawLu on my breakfast table!!!!!!!!!! - AND FOR YOU THE PPL WHO WRITE THE FICS ILY - me omw to make brainrots of these three stupid peas in a pod, fishes in a bowl, pens in a pencilcase :]]]

[skeletonh0e]

I was rereading through your Underlust lore post because I want to try writing oneshots with your Ace (if you're okay with it) and I saw-

"The two publicly opened their own marriage"

Man I wanna get in on that-

Also I wanted to ask how differently would the main cast act in your interpretation of Underlust? :3

I am 100% okay with it, all I ask is that you show me it because it lowey means the world that you wanna write Ace qwq

As for how the main cast acts, well here's some basic notes, I can always elaborate more if you want questions about certain characters

Asriel as I said is an adult and never became Flowey, he chills in the ruins because he's an introvert and a hermit. He does venture out occasionally if only to visit his parents and some friends, he's largely welcoming toward the player character but kinda...cheeky. He has some snarky little shit energy, similar to the sass Flowey gives but toned down. He's not above flirting either but he only does it to joke as I said he's aroace. Fun fact, in one the endings where the player character chooses to stay in the underground you can become his roomie and live in the ruins.

I say before he kind of plays a similar role to Toriel & Papyrus, he introduces you to the ruins, explains puzzles, gives some lore, gives you a phone to use, etc. He doesn't try to stop you from leaving the ruins but he is hesitant, he gives a big speech and tells you off the bat "hey you can't leave the underground without killing a boss monster, which are all my family soooo-"

This is where you would enter those theoretical argument/convo battle segments, where you have to convince Asriel you won't do anything bad. How you two part depends on your choices, what you say, etc. This will also affect how Asriel treats you for the rest of the game, since if you call him he does answer and gives you advice, tidbits, lore, etc. Another fun fact is that Asriel is the one that calls you at the end of the game, not Sans and again the choices you made will affect how he treats you

I will say if you went the route of killing a boss monster to escape (I.e asriels parents and/or siblings) & promised Asriel you wouldn't hurt any of his loved ones when leaving the ruins then he is understandably very mad at you.

Toriel & Asgore as mostly the same, again, they are older due to Asriel never dying in this AU thus they kept aging. So they have wrinkles, grey hair, Asgore wears glasses, etc. Both are certified glifs to be sure. They are both still together and have their own harems, but in their old age it doesn't seem like they have much interest anymore. The downside of aging is having a lower sex drive lol.

Both are noticeably less prudish though, especially around the player character. More likely to crack sex and raunchy jokes, but they're generally just two old soft people. You don't actually meet either of them until the very end of the game, but this does largely depend on how you handle your encounter with Undyne (more on that later)

I talked about Sans plenty so I'll go onto Papyrus for right now

As I said he's not a sex worker, he's a bodyguard for the MTT resort and mainly in charge of keeping his brother (alongside other performers) safe from creeps. He is still Papyrus, goofy, wacky though a bit more serious as he takes his job of protector very seriously. Wants to join the royal guard still is largely doing this gig for a mix of several reasons

A. Keeping his bro safe B. He gets to be close to Mettaton C. Security is a good stepping up into millitary

He's still a Mettaton fanboy, but since the two actually hang out and work together (possibly might be hooking up too but unclear), it's more like he's just super supportive of his bestie. Still trains with Undyne but there's no "I must capture a human!" type of mentality, he's all about just training himself to be impressive enough that they have to let him in. He's also not scared to be aggressive, like he doesn't attack or try to capture the player character but he's not afraid to rough up any clients that cause problems for the workers at the MTT resort

Mettaton I also rambled about in my big epic lore post, personality wise he's largely the same. There is a very strong sense of elegance and pride to him though, like the MTT brand is even more extensive in this AU and you bet your sweet ass he's proud of it. Fun fact while you do get a segment to perform with him like in normal UT, he also offers you a job to work as a performer in his hotel. A human would bring in several crowds he insists

Fun fact, Burgerpants is largely the same but copes with his job via smoking A LOT OF weed so he's constantly stoned

Onto Undyne, she's a lot less aggressive in this AU due to the royal guard being less intense and again there's no order to attack any humans that fall. You actually encounter her in Snowdin where she's seen hanging out at a bar and watching a strip show with other guard members, again, she's a lot more laid back here. She does consider bringing the player to encounter Asgore but only follows through if she has a reason to suspect you'll cause trouble. Also she isn't missing an eye in his AU and she & Alphys are already dating by the time they player falls, open relationship tho since is the standard for this Underground (strict monogamy is pretty rare lol)

Alphys is largely the same, but she doesn't stalk the player from the star and isn't aware of them until they enter the waterfall. She is still plagued with guilt and suffers from heavy self esteem issue but she doesn't try to trick you with the whole malfunctioning robot bit (even if she wanted to Mettaton would not go along with it in this AU), she solely works on tech swearing off ever touching drugs and booze...if you read the og lore post you know why. She's trying to 'redeem' herself via working on giving the underground better tech, better ways to broadcasts shows, etc, helping other ghosts find proper bodies like she did with Mettaton etc. Definitely still needs therapy but better than she was handling herself in UT, Undyne helps her out and is aware of what's going on too

I think that's everyone, anyone else either is the same, has minor changes (for example Muffet works at the MTT Resort too but she's still just Muffet), or isn't around due to the nature of this AU (Frisk, Chara, Flowey, etc)

[saltybean03]

Some blorbo about cedric and godrick meeting each other for the first time 🤧

Id like to imagine when he APPEARS in stormveil, godricks men are like "wtf is THAT" and gostoc at the gate comes runnin to godrick scared out of his wits like "milord, you have company" and godrick is like "why so pale? You look like youve seen a ghost or something!" And gostoc is like "more like something, milord...... theres a, uh.. someone here to see you that says hes a brother of yours" and godrick twists a lock of his hair with this unimpressed expression like "meh, distant relatives.." and then gostoc is like "no, lord godrick. They're a direct descendant of the golden lineage" and hes like "oh??" And hes like "and they are also grafted.....i think" and godrick gets all excited like "ooh! A brother after my own interests! I must see them at once!" Ced comes crawlin in, the soldiers are like that meme of dafoe staring at the sky in fucking horror.

You know, this one? 😂

And the energy in the whole castle changes as his shadow literally OVERTAKES godrick like the fucking solar eclipse, and cedric is like "hello, brother! :]" and godrick has a "oh no, chat" moment as he realizes the extent of the homunculus in front of him. Hes like "my, my..! You are more than i expected..!" But you know godrick, hes prideful so he doesnt outright say what hes thinking which is him geeking out like "i-incredible..! The extent of those grafts..! And they're near seamless..! And he can move so easily with it all..!" And cedric is like "i have something for you, brother!" And proceeds to pull a rykard and take an axe out from the depths of his insides talkin bout some damn "apologies if its a little wet, nyehe." and the mf is forged from living flesh (just like rykards sword hey hey!) And godrick is just like "FOR ME?!?!" because i seriously doubt atp anyone has ever given that man something nice, and he just starts ugly crying as his pride is shattered by genuine kindness, and ceds like "i heard you like axes, so i had one made for you as a gift" and godrick is just "NO ONES EVER DONE ME A KINDNESS LIKE THIS!! I CANT THANK YOU ENOUGH!!" and gostoc is just ��� in the background, lmfao, still trying to process wtaf hes looking at. Cedric def takes Pendra everywhere, as well, he took her with him on this trip to stormveil. Shes like "his majesty, cedric, formerly the grafted centipede, has come a great distance to meet you. ^^" and ceds like "youre all arms, godrick" 😏 and godrick is like "youre one to talk.. cedric" 😏 BLORBO ESTABLISHED. And ced is the life of the party man, lemme tell you! Hes like "lets get a picture to remember this moment in history forever, dearest brother!" And its a whole album of them making goofy faces. Godrick has no time to question the legitimacy of it cause hes just so happy to know he has a trueblood brother other than morgott. Not that he needs to question it. I cant draw it worth a damn but they do look very much alike in the face, despite cedric's obvious bug mouth horror. Gostoc is like "pardon my boldness on the matter but how do we even know hes your brother? He looks nothing like you, milord!" And they're just standing next to each other, lookin like a fucking mirror. And godrick is like "I dont know what you mean! He looks exactly like me!" And pendra agrees like "i concur. They are one and the same" pspspsps, gostoc is just jealous hes not the center of attention anymore... 😏

And they just trade stories all day, as honored guests! Godrick is dying to know how he did it all. Hes like "how have you achieved such a respectively monstrous form??" And hes just like "creative freedom, nyehe. Tell me brother, do you eat tarnished here?" And godrick just pauses like

"You do not eat whats left?" And godrick is like "...............afraid not. 😀" and cedric is like "how interesting! 🤔 ill admit, they dont taste as good as demigods do!" And godriick just grows more distressed like 😃‼️ and ced catches himself like "no worries, brother. I wouldn't ever eat you! :]"

Yeah, blorbo over, for now, LOL

[penixels]

I love your headcanons for Tanlorin's astrology :) do you happen to have thoughts on other placements?

No way 😭 thank you so much, I didn't think anyone would care about my goofy ramblings.

I'm still relearning astrology and chart placements and I do have more thoughts on Tanlorin, though not as in-depth as I'd personally like. There's so much I'm brushing up on and I'm still learning new things too.

I can drop these random ones though.

They definitely have a Libra stellium (three+ placements in a sign or house but we're not getting into houses.) A stellium isn't common, but isn't crazy rare either. Learning about my own two stelliums really helped me understand how they function: a stellium = heavy influence from that sign or house.

They're outgoing, friendly, a good listener, and charismatic, but might be optimistic to a fault when it comes to those they love. They also tend to get lost in the sauce when it comes to romance. Building connections comes so easily, but letting go is painful to them. (Only amplified by the cancer moon btw.) Also, it's pretty apparent they love beautiful things and I don't have proof of the line, but they did mention something about painting in passing. Not sure what triggered it and I haven't heard it since, but it shows they have an inclination toward art, which I think is precious.

They for sure have their Sun, Venus, and Jupiter in Libra. (Potentially Mercury too but I'm still stewing on that one.)

Venus in Libra is painfully obvious with their charm and flirtatiousness. I wouldn't say they have commitment issues, but they're someone who likes to explore options and experience different kinds of connections. While Libras in Venus are extremely romantic, I find they tend to take a while to settle down, thanks to the tendency for Libras to be indecisive. However, overall, they're a great lover once they do commit fully: being able to balance give and take, communicating openly and clearly, and they're one to surprise a partner with sweet, romantic gestures. Libra is at home in Venus after all, so they got lucky with that one. 😒

Tanlorin having Libra in Jupiter just makes sense: they have a strong sense of justice and are diplomatic. Those with Jupiter in Libra tend to lean towards work that helps those in need, and is that not what the Garland Ring is about? They take great pride in that. They also are someone willing to grow, often doing so by learning through others. However, they can be a little bit superficial at times, taking things at face value because they consider it ideal in some way. Libras in Jupiter also have a tendency to people please and just given Tanlorin's backstory, I feel that prior to even joining the Garland Ring, they would have been a chronic people pleaser, wanting to find a place to belong and wanting to find their people, kind of floating around and feeling out of place.

Also, Mars in Pisces is something I'm leaning towards. Tanlorin is mild mannered and not quick to temper, but they're kind of an escapist (not faulting them at all). They're someone who has had to sacrifice a lot and I feel they're someone who may have had the tendency to self sacrifice prior to meeting them, something I feel they may fall into still, but to a much lesser degree. However, they're someone who is very forgiving and will usually leave doors open to resolve conflict, and boy did they try to resolve things with Wisteria. They probably would have forgiven her if she didn't go as far as she had. In time, I feel they'll forgive her in their own way, but healing from it will take a long time. Same with their family- though estranged, I feel in a way they've forgiven it so they can move forward. (Definitely never forgets tho.) I think everything between them and their family- and Wisteria specifically- is what confirmed Mars in Pisces for me.

Didn't mean for this to be as long as it is but that's what I've got so far.

[smytherines]

Tumblr won't let me post this from my drafts, but @uhhhitsme this is me responding to what you wrote yesterday!

I think that's right though. This is a long distance relationship. They live an ocean apart, they only get to see each other when their countries deem it necessary to work together. They have to have their entire relationship in secret because it is illegal. And probably treason because they work for two different countries. It is super turbo illegal.

I mean, long distance couples who don't have all those additional issues, who can call or video chat or whatever every day if they choose to, who have support networks there for them to lean on, (who aren't gay spies in the 1950s), most of the time they still don't make it because the distance is just too much to overcome. But Curt and Owen made it work. Even if it was messy and they were both assholes and nothing about it was rational. They made it work.

We don't know how long Curt and Owen were together before the fall, but I'm guessing it was at least a couple of years? They work incredibly well together, they're bantering and giving these goofy lovesick grins to each other (they make me sick)

Even when they bicker it feels like an old married couple. And it has to be that way for the show to make sense. We get less than ten minutes to establish their relationship, and this little section of the show is what gives the staircase scene true dramatic weight. Because there is so much fucking chemistry in that first ten minutes, such a sense of intimacy between them, that when Curt says "the feelings we had" the audience is already there. We don't need to be convinced (especially queer viewers who clocked this shit right away) because yeah of course these two were together.

They were able to keep this thing going off of maybe a couple of days together every few months? Days where they were mostly risking their lives and killing people and getting shot/stabbed/tortured and then hooking up in a hotel room or safe house or whatever.

One thing I think about a lot is if they were able to be that close to each other, function that well together, be so fucking familiar and warm with each other with just those little scraps of time together, I can't even imagine what they'd be like if they actually had time to just be together. Time to learn to be in a relationship. There's a line from Black Box that goes like "a real relationship- the kind of thing with a permanent address," and that's what Curt and Owen never got to have, and its the kind of thing you have to learn, you have to practice.

That's tough though, because I also think Curt's inherent restlessness would make it very difficult for him to settle down into a comfortable quiet life away from everything. I think he's the kind of guy who theoretically wants the comfort and happiness of a happy little domestic situation, wants to be loved and wanted, but it would be torture for him to have to stay in the same place for very long. At least as a younger man. He wants the idea of it. He wants it emotionally, but couldn't handle it practically. What he truly wants is for he and Owen to eternally live out their glory days together as the world's greatest spies- constant adrenaline and pressure and excitement.

This is pure headcanon, but I picture Owen as the kind of guy who has never wanted any of that. Home is where he keeps his shit in between missions. He doesn't want a happy little domestic life, he wants to do the job he's good at until he dies. Until he meets Curt. Then he starts wanting all sorts of things he knows he can never have. He wants to keep Curt safe, wants to know that they'll be able to see each other whenever they want, they'd have control of their own lives instead of being controlled by their agencies. He wants to stop having to work so hard and think so much and constantly constantly plan for the worst.

So it's difficult to say, but in my heart I do think that if they had more time, both in the pre-fall relationship and, y'know, Curt not putting a bullet in Owen's head, I think they could have figured it out. I think if they were able to sustain the feelings they had for so long on so little actual contact, then it would be difficult and painful and even more messy than before, but eventually they could move on to something better.

I think they loved each other enough to try, but after everything they had each been through in their four years apart, after the ways they had hurt each other and broken each other's trust, they just... couldn't see that in the moment. Which is pretty tragic to me.

[familiaralien]

Giant monster tamer megathread

Decided for the sake of education and my own neurodiversity to make a post including every video game series or stand alone title I know of that focuses on creature capturing competitions that isn't Pokemon.

One big exception: the game has to be a reasonably playable state. So no games that are effectively or literally lost media (like Micromon) or games that only playable state is currently a short demo (like Bestieball). With that in mind here we go:

Digimon

This one is pretty obvious. While more of a multimedia franchise it has tons of games to its IP. The one that probably would appeal most to Pokenerds is Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth and its sequel as they're turned based RPGs with a monster capture mechanic.

Monster Rancher

Another one I think a lot of folks have heard about or least millennials would remember. I haven't personally played any of these titles myself but from what I gather they're raising sims with tournament combat. For a while their availability was mostly limited to emulation but Monster Rancher 1 and 2 have been ported to modern systems like the Switch.

Yo-kai Watch

A mid 2010s franchise that had a whole lot of initial success in Japan. Its an RPG series that doesn't take itself very seriously with cute and goofy monster design based on the Japanese folklore creatures called... well yokai. Has real time combat instead of turn based and more luck based capturing mechanics than Pokemon.

Palworld

Brand new game that's only in its alpha release as of now. Its effectively a parody of Pokemon where you're stuck trying to survive in the wilderness so you must build a base and farm resources to survive. Game did have some initial controversy due to some of its designs stepping a little TOO close to being outright ripoffs of existing designs. Also you can capture and enslave humans which may not vibe with some folks.

Temtem

Basically Pokemon meets a MMO lite. The game can be played mostly as single player campaign but does unfortunately still require a constant internet connection. Battles are turned based but 2 versus 2.

Shin Megami Tensei

What could be consider the original monster tamer game. The series is aimed at a somewhat older audience and the plots tend to be more philosophical then like "gotta be the best *insert title here* ever". Focuses a lot on fusing monsters as well as trying to convince them to join you. You actually battle alongside your monsters.

Dragon Quest Monsters

Monster Capturing mechanics do exist in the mainline DQ games as well (at least since DQ5 I think?) but its these games have them as the main gameplay. Much like SMT it focuses on fusing monsters as one of the main ways to expand your library off available species.

Nexomon

Franchise that started its life as a mobile game but has since gotten ports to other systems. Its very similar to Pokemon in terms of creature designs and combat but the worldbuilding is quite different as is its tone being a lot more comedic.

Coromon

Indie game with visuals similar to Pokemon Black and White. Its story was originally kinda so-so and its ending pretty abrupt but its since gotten a free patch that smoothed that out quite a bit. Also has a sorta unique "shiny" system where alternate colors are associated with higher potential which can actually be altered once. Also has a built in randomizer and "nuzlocke" mode.

Cassette Beasts

A pretty recent indie game. Unlike all the others you don't capture or hatch monsters but rather record them to transform into them yourself. Battles are always between you and a companion which there are multiple to befriend throughout your journey (including a dog!). Has some really interesting quirks with its type chart that adds a lot of extra depth. Will soon be releasing a mutiplayer update for anyone that's into that kind of thing.

Monster Crown

A game with visual based on the Gameboy era. It has some pretty fascinating breeding mechanics and a somewhat darker tone than Pokemon. WARNING: DO NOT GET THE SWITCH PORT! For whatever reason its especially glitchy and I have genuinely gotten entire save files ruined by game breaking bugs (such as my player character getting stuck in walls or clipping out of a bounds). As far as I'm aware the PC version is not nearly as much as a mess though.

Monster Sanctuary

Monster collecting meets metroidvania. Has a really fun skill tree type move learning system that allows for quite a bit of strategy. Also the monster designs are way less Pokemon and more inspired by traditional roleplay monsters (so there's like Goblins and stuff). My only gripe with the game is how you get monsters involves getting specific scores in battle which makes getting 1 of each monster way more tedious than it needed to be.

Fossil Fighters

Franchise is maybe dead since there hasn't been a new entry in it since the 3DS but its still easy enough to these games. Anyway this series involve reviving dinosaurs (and some other ancient animals) into new lifeforms called vivosaur and using them in 3 on 3 combat. Vivosaurs are obtained with a fossil digging minigame which is kinda neat.

Spectrobes

Another franchise that's been pretty dead for a while (it last entry was on the Wii). Spectrobes has a more sci fi like setting with its monsters being aliens you revive from fossils. Combat is real time and you participate alongside a couple of your monsters. I'm btw describing only the first game because I haven't played either sequel!

Evocreo

Mobile only monster game with a style similar to Pokemon Black and White not unlike Coromon mentioned above. Has a lot of focus on split path evolution. The devs are apparently going to release a sequel soon but its been in development hell for years so I'll come back and edit this if that actually happens.

Monster Hunter Stories

I have not played nor watched gameplay of this one so I can't really describe it that deeply all I know is its a spinoff of Monster Hunter involving befriending and using the titular monsters in combat.

Telefang

Its sad this game series is most famous for being badly translated and repackaged as a Pokemon game. Anyway these are Japanese only titles though fan translations exist. The gimmick of this game is that you call monsters up on your cellphone to get them over to participate in combat. This series this sprout out when cellphones were consider newfangled and hip so it makes sense.

Anode Heart

Pretty sure this one is PC only. Takes some inspiration from the Digimon World games and is semi open world. Sadly this one I don't know much about outside of that though it does have a free demo on Steam for anyone that wants to try it for themselves.

Ooblets

Extremely wholesome monster catching and farming game. Battles are actually dancing competitions instead of violent confrontations and monsters are recruited simply by beating them in a fight. Thing is monsters will only fight you if you offer them their favourite food so that's where strategy comes in.

Moonstone Island

I know very little about this one except its also a monster catching and farming game. I've heard that its really good though and I believe its PC only right now but has a planned Switch port.

Timenet

Probably the most obscure ass monster tamer on this entire list. This is a Japanese exclusive set of Gameboy games featuring very cute monster designs... and Hello Kitty. Yes Sanrio made a monster tamer back in the late 90s. I only learned this even existed after scrolling down a comment section on a random YouTube video.

Abomi Nation

I'm mostly excluding roguelike games due to most having nothing but battles an 0 plot but this one does actually has a story! You play as the actual monster as you make your way through somewhat randomly generated maps with lots of other randomized elements. The game allows for a lot of customization including turning off permadeath if you're not a fan of that. The visual style is a bit crude but its still a pretty cute game.

Jade Concoon

Another somewhat obscure entry but at least this one got an English release. Anyway its an old RPG for the PSX with monster capturing and a very fascinating monster fusing mechanic that uses an algorithm to determine the appearance of the fusion. The player character can also participate in battle and the plot is very complex. The game also has a sequel on the PS2 but I know even less about that one.

Robopon

Now if you thought Palworld was bordering on some copyright infringement this game is basically nothing but "Pokemon but the designs are robots". Still worth bringing up I think!

Ni No Kuni

Not sure how I got to mentioning several obscure titles and somehow didn't mention something that really isn't. Ni No Kuni is real time battles between you and 2 party members. You can both battle as the actual human characters or switch into a monster. Wrath of the White Witch's visual style in particular is very whimsical and even has some animated cutscene done by Studio Ghibli. I haven't played any other game in the franchise.

Siralim

I haven't played any entry in this series yet (there's apparently 4 games + a spinoff) but from reading up on the most recent entry these are basically procedurally generated dungeon crawlers with an insane level of depth. The story is apparently not that great but the games themselves apparently also make fun of it so it seems its an intentional dev choice. Battles are 6 on 6 and there's over 1000 monsters to collect.

Disc Creatures

A monster tamer with a visual style similar to the Gameboy and Gameboy Color. It has 3 on 3 combat. Impressively I'm pretty sure it was developed by just one person in the RPG Maker engine (I'm honestly surprised this is the first indie game made with ya know... an engine meant for turned based RPGs).

Monster Harvest

A Dungeon crawler mixed with farming. Its a bit shorter than anything else I've mentioned here and its a bit glitchy but its a cute little game worth picking up on sale at the least. Notably also only about a 1/3 of the monster in the game are combative with the rest being either used for farming resources or as mounts.

Loomian Legacy

A Roblox monster tamer.... yes there's 2 of those in this (I could even have added 3 but I think one is in still a pretty early state). Pretty sure this started as a Pokemon fangame and become its own thing later. It has your typical 1 on 1 turn based combat and all that. I think its free to play and there's like several hours of content on it so maybe worth a gander.

Tales of Tonorio

Pretty sure this is the same basic deal as Loomian (Roblox game, started as a Pokemon fan game, etc etc) though its has its own world building and creature designs since I'm pretty sure its made by a completely different team.

So yeah that's all of them I can think of right now. If I learn of others and/or there's new releases I may expand this.

PS: There is almost certainly numerous typoes in this. This post is way longer than anything else I've ever made on Tumblr so I can't be arse to fix them you're just going to have to deal!

[shreddeddescent]

What are Jennika, Venus, and Kirby like?

AHHHHHHHHH they're wonderful...... fucking wonderful tbh. hhhhhhhh

im debating on if i wanna let yall in on just how crazy ive gotten and show you like them explain it themselves. but its hhhhhh its a lot and theres other bits that arent so fun so i dont really want to rn cuz i wanna gush.

they were raised in some other dimension by draxum, who worked for big mama. draxum was essentially raphs doctor while you know. with eggs. but he took them away afterwards, raised to be warriors for something idk the details yet.

draxum wasnt the best but grew into a good parent for them so theyre okay. more okay than the brothers are for sure. but they grew curious about where they came from and did travel to that exact time when they were around 18, had some boundary issues, read big mama's therapy files on them and spiralled over how fucked up their origins were. debated going back in time to try and prevent their own existence. but draxum had to sit them down and tell them it wasnt their fault. so thats its own whole thing.

but theyre all 28 now. and theyve processed a lot more of it, but feel like 'hey, these kids arent okay at all, and they seem trapped in big mama's hotel. and we are adults with the ability to help. and also maybe some small part of us knows this is our family, we're clones, we're siblings. lets try to just be that.'

kirby is a hulking behemoth of a turtle man, like 7 and a half feet tall very wide very strong very good at being a warrior. never gave anything else much thought. he's kind of like.... what shredder fucking wanted out of that whole situation. perfect son, perfect general. but hes also a little shy with his feelings. he's kind of the leader, the one with the plan, the one who gets frustrated when his sisters get distracted and do other shit instead. he looks a lot like raph. but hes a male so raph cant see that at all. he's pretty quiet but hes very funny when he tries to be.

venus was taught magic when it became clear fighting wasnt a thing she was gonna physically be able to do. physically she's weak, her body looks a bit deformed. the magic came with a kind of accessibility for her, so she floats to ease the pain. she's very introspective and assumes people know just as much as her, tends to ramble on about things without realizing everyones lost. shes a lot like donnie like that, and realizing thats where she gets it makes her go 'ugh... of course this is your fault' but shes very sweet. little bit of boundary issues, cuz she may or may not be able do mind magic, but she knows to ask permission.

jennika is goofy and kind, a bit scatter brained, but very protective. shes the most easy going, but she's also the most emotional one. has the most confused feelings over raph specifically, probably just as excited to meet a trans turtle as he was. let alone cuz theyre family. but yeah, she's very fun loving and absolutely the problem child of the bunch, the one most likely to not follow orders and get into trouble. absolute coolest big sister alive vibes for sure.

again, theyre very much like 'oh, these kids are our family in whatever they need us to be, and we're gonna fucking be here for whatever they need'. like theyre so nice. and things are so weird. but theyre here to be like. the first grown ups to be kind to these kids without expecting anything out of them. cuz thats a new fucking concept!

but really. theyre big siblings, thats how we're gonna try and explain the vibes of what they are to them.